A very rough guide to highlights of 2008:

A not very thorough list of my personal 2008 highlights in mind and brain news, dredged from my memory and reproduced for your reading pleasure:

Funniest (unintentional)
USA Today publishing an alarmist story about 'digital drugs' that can, according to the article, mimic the effects of alcohol, marijuana, LSD, crack, heroin, sex, heaven and hell. Sadly not true, although hilarious to read.

Funniest (intentional)
The Web Therapy web series staring Lisa Kudrow as an incompetent psychologist. Wonderfully produced, cleverly satirical and very funny to boot.

Best film
The English Surgeon. A profoundly beautiful documentary about the work of London-based neurosurgeon Henry Marsh and his colleague Igor Kurilets in the Ukraine. Do not miss it. Possibly a working torrent here.

Best podcast / radio episode
RadioLab's delicious programme on Orson Well's War of the Worlds broadcast and its subsequent psychological impact. Just pure audio delightfulness.

Best video lecture
A gripping lecture at the University of California by historian Prof Alfred McCoy on the 'psychological torture: a CIA history'.

Most interesting new concept
Brain-computer interfaces to weapons systems pose problems for the definition of a 'war crime' if they're triggered preconsciously, according to an interesting analysis by lawyer Stephen White.

Most interesting interview
A tie between sociologist Harry Collins discussing his work on the social interactions of physicists and what this tells us about what we have to do to be considered an expert and what types of expertise there are, and an Neurophilosophy interview with Heather Perry who trepanned herself and is remarkably reflective about the experience.

Most useful academic article
Nikos Logothetis' article in Nature about what fMRI is really measuring and what we can and can't infer about the mind and brain from neuroimaging experiment.

Best example of neurobabble
The cover article on neuroscience-based management in an issue of HR Magazine which has to be read to be believed. Or maybe that's just your basal ganglia talking.

Most tangential post
I start off talking about blond girls in t-shirts and end up talking about philosophy of mind. Actually, usually happens the other way round in real life.

Best cognitive science art project
Artificially intelligence punk rock pogo robots. Enough said.

Best random clip of TV documentary
A TV presenter is intravenously injected with differing mixtures of the active ingredients of cannabis as part of the BBC documentary Should I Smoke Dope?.

Most overdue decision
The American Psychological Association banning participation in torture. Did it really need all the fuss?

To the bunkers! Most likely to hasten the coming robot war
Pentagon requests robot packs to hunt humans. Uh huh.

The Truth About Diet Soda !

We talk a lot about ''watching what we eat,'' but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life. (Yes, nearly a pound of fat loss a week!) That's what a study from the University of North Carolina found. Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.

When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons:

Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.

It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages--even if they're artificially sweetened--may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert--everything.

Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.

Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.

There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.

Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Bottom line: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong.

The best way to hydrate is by drinking low-calorie, high-nutrient fluids—and avoiding belt-busting beverages like the 20 Unhealthiest Drinks in America.

Now that you have a hold on your liquid assets, upgrade the rest of your grocery list by avoiding the 13 Worst "Healthy" Foods in the Supermarket. With so many items to choose from, it's easier to fall victim to packaged food lies than you think.

7 Alzheimer's Warning Signs

The purpose of this list is to alert the public to the early warning signs of one of the most devastating disorders affecting older people — Alzheimer's disease. If someone has several or even most of these symptoms, it does not mean they definitely have the disease. It does mean they should be thoroughly examined by a medical specialist trained in evaluating memory disorders, such as a neurologist or a psychiatrist, or by a comprehensive memory disorder clinic, with an entire team of expert knowledge about memory problems.
The seven warning signs of Alzheimer's disease are:
1. Asking the same question over and over again.
2. Repeating the same story, word for word, again and again.
3. Forgetting how to cook, or how to make repairs, or how to play cards — activities that were previously done with ease and regularity.
4. Losing one's ability to pay bills or balance one's checkbook.
5. Getting lost in familiar surroundings, or misplacing household objects.
6. Neglecting to bathe, or wearing the same clothes over and over again, while insisting that they have taken a bath or that their clothes are still clean.
7. Relying on someone else, such as a spouse, to make decisions or answer questions they previously would have handled themselves.

Handlebars

so here is new video call Handlebars.. i really like this one in enjoy watching it first i didn't get the song but now can't stop listening it , I even tried to ride my bike with no handle bars, and crashed really bad. My knee is totally skinned and bleeding, and I got a bump on my head. But I like this song more and more. lol
so after you done listening it tell me wats the song all about ..

my videos

Dangerous Chemicals in the Home

A "Most-Wanted" list of five common household contaminants.
We all want our homes to be clean, safe places to live -- sanctuaries away from the chaos and cares of the outside world. But toxic invaders may lurk inside your home, putting you and your family at risk. Here are five household pollutants to watch out for, and tips on how to minimize your exposure...

1. Cigarette Smoke.
Cigarette smoke is a toxic pollutant, made up of more than 4,000 chemicals. In smokers, it causes a variety of deadly cancers, as well as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, heart disease, respiratory allergies and complications during pregnancy. In addition to the 440,000 American smokers who die every year from illnesses caused by cigarette smoke, thousands of nonsmokers die from health problems caused or aggravated by secondhand smoke, including heart disease, lung cancer and sudden infant death syndrome. The Centers for Disease Control ranks smoking as the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States each year.

2. Lead
More than a quarter century after the 1978 ban on lead in paint, nearly half a million American prekindergarten children have elevated levels of lead in their blood. That's largely because old lead paint remains on the walls in many homes, workplaces and schools. This paint can emit lead-laced dust particles, especially during remodeling and construction. Old, corroded lead pipes are another common culprit. Elevated blood-lead levels in kids increase risk of learning disabilities, behavioral problems, anemia and, in extreme cases, serious brain damage.

3. Pesticides
The pesticides we use to control weeds and insects in and around our homes can be significant health hazards. Exposure to certain pesticides is associated with health problems ranging from skin rashes to nervous system disorders and cancer. Children are at the greatest risk of harm because of their hand-to-mouth habits and still-developing nervous systems; also, the places they play are often the type of area that is treated with pesticides. In recent years, a number of the most dangerous pesticides have been pulled off the market, thanks to pressure from environmental groups. But that doesn't make the aging supplies in your garage any safer.

4. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde isn't just the stuff of high school science labs. It's more common in your home than you might think. Formaldehyde is used in fertilizers, glues, plywood, fiberboard, particleboard and certain types of insulation, as well as in some disinfectants, antibacterial soaps and even beauty products. Formaldehyde has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA. Its vapors can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and skin, and also cause asthma attacks in sensitive people. Home exposure to formaldehyde has been linked to respiratory allergies in children.

5. Radon
Radon is an invisible, odorless, radioactive gas produced by the decay of a naturally occurring element in soil called radium. Radium could be anywhere, and if it occurs in high levels, radon gas can be a serious problem. Radon seeps into homes through cracks in the foundations, accumulating in lower floors, especially basements. The problem is worst where ventilation is poor. Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, after tobacco, and is responsible for approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year.